Sport fishing has long been a favorite recreational activity for outdoor enthusiasts around the world. Of the many species of fish which are pursued, bass is one of the most popular. Bass are generally very selective when it comes to food. To entice a bass to strike, an angler typically must select the proper lure for the given conditions and present the lure to the fish in such a manner that the lure is made to appear as an irresistible meal. Effective lure selection and presentation are skills which few novice bass anglers possess. Instead, such skills are generally acquired only after prolonged exposure to the sport. When a strike occurs, the angler is challenged to skillfully hook and retrieve the combative fish. The beauty of the outdoors, the skill and challenge associated with lure selection and lure presentation techniques, and a fierce desire of bass to avoid capture when hooked are all characteristics which make the sport of bass fishing highly popular and challenging.
Many specialized products have evolved over the years to accommodate bass anglers. Specialized marine craft commonly referred to as "bass boats" have evolved to provide the bass angler with a steady, speedy, sporty platform to fish from. Bass boats are designed to provide functionality, convenience, and in many cases, style. A typical bass boat will include a large outboard motor for rapid transport of the angler to select fishing holes and a forward platform on which the angler stands to make repeated casts toward suspected fish-holding structure. A bow-mounted, electric trolling motor is commonly used to navigate the bass boat through the water and to position the boat at a desired location from which casts can be made. Various storage areas are commonly incorporated into the deck to accommodate storage of items such as fishing rods and life jackets. Most bass boats also include one or more live wells for containment of bait or captured fish.
Another specialized product which is rapidly gaining popularity among bass anglers are compact, compartmentalized, plastic storage trays for organized storage of lures and other tackle. An example of such a tackle storage tray are trays available under model no. 3700 from Plano Molding Company of Plano, Ill. These storage trays are small, lightweight, accessible, and generally exhibit improved storage efficiency and compactness as compared to conventional tackle boxes. Such storage trays are also desirable for their ability to contain lures and other tackle within their respective compartments even when the storage tray is turned upside-down, thus eliminating one of the more bothersome disadvantages of a typical conventional tackle box. Increasingly, anglers are eliminating their bulky, cumbersome, foldout style of tackle boxes and are opting instead to store their lures and other tackle in the new compact storage trays. Because of the many lures, hooks, weights, and other tackle which bass anglers normally use, most anglers will typically utilize several of these compact storage trays in which to store their tackle. In many instances, bass anglers elect to dedicate individual trays for storage of a particular type of lure or other tackle.
Various portable carriers have also been developed to help anglers transport and organize the compact storage trays. One example is a gear bag available under model no. 3370 from Plano. This particular carrier is made of a soft fabric and includes a shoulder strap and a zippered compartment for storage of the model no. 3700 storage trays. Another example of a carrier bag of this type is a hard plastic container available under the trade name StowAway SuperSport from Plano.
While such compact storage trays provide advantages over conventional tackle boxes, some of those advantages are lost by requiring the angler to utilize a carrier for transporting the storage boxes to and from the boat. In this manner, the combination of storage trays and carrier provide little improvement over conventional tackle boxes. Also, as with conventional tackle boxes, the combination of storage trays and carrier is an obstruction within the limited deck space available to the angler.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a storage device and system which avoids disadvantages of previous storage devices.
Another object of the invention is to provide a storage system which is integrally formed into a deck portion of a marine craft.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a storage system of the character described which is suitable for storage of modular tackle trays and/or other items.
A further object of the invention is to provide a system of the character described which is recessed into a deck portion of a boat.
A further object of the invention is to provide a system of the character described which enables storage of modular tackle trays in an organized manner.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a system of the character described which protects stored items from exposure to the elements.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a system of the character described which is capable of general purpose storage as well as specific storage of modular tackle trays.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a system of the character described which is economical, convenient to use, and does not detract from the aesthetics of a boat.
With regard to the foregoing and other objects, the invention provides a storage system for a marine craft, such as a bass boat. The system includes a recess defined in a deck portion of the marine craft and a plurality of storage modules for which are removably positionable within the recess. Examples of storage modules, or trays which are suitable for use with the invention include generally rectangular trays available under model no. 3700 from Plano Molding Company of Plano, Ill. In one aspect, the recess includes a bottom wall spaced below the deck surface, a plurality of sidewalls extending from the bottom wall toward the deck surface and terminating adjacent and below the deck surface, and module retainers located within the recess for slidably receiving the modules and for maintaining the modules in a desired orientation within the recess below the deck surface.
In another aspect of the invention, each of two opposed side walls are separated from each other by a distance sufficient to enable one or more of the modules to be positioned between the two walls. Each of these two walls include a plurality of guides protruding from the side wall and extending vertically from the top of the wall toward the bottom. Each of the guides is spaced apart, one from another, to provide alternating guides and troughs sized to receive at least a portion of one of the modules. For each guide and trough of one side wall there is an oppositely oriented guide and trough on the other side wall. Oppositely oriented troughs and guides are separated by distances sufficient to enable the modules to be slidingly fitted and contained between oppositely oriented troughs. A lid which is used to cover the container is movable between a fully open position providing access to the container and a fully closed position in which access into the container is restricted. When fully closed, the lid is substantially flush with the deck portion of the marine craft so as to not interfere with the angler's footing and to provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance.
To inhibit intrusion of water into the container, a raised edge may be provided adjacent the upper edges offside walls. Additionally, in one embodiment the lid is attached to the deck by at least one hinge. The lid may also include a handle for opening and closing the lid.
In another aspect of the invention, a fishing tackle storage system is provided. The system includes a plurality of storage trays for storing fishing tackle, including lures, where each of the trays has a first end opposite a second end. A storage tray container is also provided. The container, which has an upper edge adjacent the deck of a marine craft, is recessed into the deck of the marine craft to a depth at least as great as a dimension of a storage tray. The container includes a first plurality of guides in opposed relation to a second plurality of guides. Each of the first plurality of guides are in a spaced apart relation to receive and contain the first ends of the storage trays, and each of the second plurality of guides are in a spaced apart relation to receive and contain the second ends of the storage trays. A lid covers the container. The lid provides access to the container when open and restricts access when closed.
The present invention also provides a boat having a deck with a container recessed into the deck. As described above, the container includes a plurality of side walls and a bottom wall for storage of tackle trays and other items. A lid is provided for covering the container, as previously described.